Private Homecoming

[Barad Voss]

Planet: Susevfi
Location: Wilderness
Tag: Eris Vale

Far from any city, a weathered freighter roars across the savanna. The battered hulk whipping up a wind in its wake as it descends upon a forgotten ruin. Turning and rattling as it makes its landing, the grass rippling around it as it sinks into the ground before it rising again and the hum of its engines slowly quieting.

Inside, the pilot stands from his seat and stretches as though it's been hours since he stood. Then he yawns and walks down the corridor from the cockpit. "How does you keep winning?!" the pilot hears as he enters the main hold. In this chamber are four men sat around the table and one who is standing. The man on his feet shouts again, "You always get the card you need! Every time!" His opponent speaks through a grin, "I'm not cheating, if that's what you're implying. Pazaak is about playing the odds." The other three - spectators to their game - laugh and one jeers ,"Maybe if you were a smarter, you'd be a better player."

The pilot lets out an exaggerated yawn and says, "Enough, we're here." The other men stop and give him their attention. He speaks again, "Don your armor, I'll wake Barad." They all nod, the players begin gathering up their cards and the spectators leave through the western corridor. As the pilot exits the main hold he grumbles, "And his witch."

As he leaves through the eastern corridor he hears one of the players ask, "How long has it been? Three, four years?". He hears nothing from the other and opens the door. This stretch of the hallway is a crossroads. To his left is the exit ramp, in front of him another door and to his right yet another door. Without stopping he opens the door in front of him just as the door behind him closes. The hallway bends and he turns with it, entering one of the two dormitories.

In this chamber - along the eastern wall - are four small alcoves, each recess its own bunk. The pilot approaches the bed at the end, part of a man poking around the wall. He gets within arms length of the man and places a hand on his shoulder. He gives the sleeping man a good shake before saying, "Barad, wake up. We're here."

Barad stretches as he comes to life and rubs his eyes. "Go don your armor, get out, and stretch your legs. I'll join you shortly." he says at the end of a yawn. The pilot nods, turns, and walks away. As the pilot leaves, his footsteps echoing down the hall, Barad turns over in bed and faces a woman lying next to him. He brushes the hair in her face behind her ear and whispers softly, "We're home."

 

[Eris Vale]

Sleep had not been Eris' friend for many, many years.

Before she left home, she had a fleeting relationship with it at best. With the passage of time, it was like they were strangers. Eris would close her eyes to submit herself to it and it would merely dance temptingly within her grasp, yet it was always just out of her reach. Sometimes she would play its game. Chase it through the ether until her non-corporeal form could run no more, but she had never once caught it. Not for a long time.

From time to time, to sate sweet concerns, Eris pretended to sleep. She had watched Barad often enough to make it look realistic.

She had learned from watching Barad sleep. That's what she had been doing for a while now. Studying him. Her gaze was trained on the steady rise and fall of his chest, on the barely perceptible twitches in his hands and arms. Only occasionally would she allow this gaze to trail up to where his eyes flickered rapidly behind his eyelids. The peaceful expression on his face was always a curiosity, especially when the dreams that made his eyes flicker became so real that he could not help but physically display them on his expression.

Tonight there had been further entertainment. In the form of the men that travelled with them. They had chosen to situate themselves far away from the barracks where she and Barad slept, but Eris could still hear them. They were playing a game. One of them was cheating. Eris could feel his dishonesty as plainly as she felt the blankets covering her thin form, or the pillow pressed against the side of her head. The others were angry or amused. Their protests and laughter echoed through the metal-clad hallway until it sounded like a thousand men and not just a few.

It had been that way for some time now. Eris watching Barad to the background tune of the raucous gambling session taking place a few feet away. She had no true idea of how long it had been this way either. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? None seemed to fit, and it seemed as though she would remain lost in time forever. At least until the sound of chairs scraping against metal and the soft hum of dying conversation reached her ears.

Eris watched a shadow grow from a flicker of darkness in the gap under the door. Whoever it belonged to hesitated. Just for a brief moment. As though what lay for them beyond the door was something to be feared. It must have felt like an eternity for the shadow owner, but eventually, Eris watched it shudder across the speckled floor as its master finally grew enough courage to creep forward slowly. Closing her eyes, she let her body relax into the mattress. Was this the cheater? Or the victim? There was no way of knowing, so Eris sated herself by listening to the heavy, rhythmic thud of his step as she settled into her false sleep state.

The bed shook along with Barad's body. She felt him stir next to her, but she remained still. Low baritone voices buzzed as a short conversation was shared. Barad's voice sounded thick with sleep. Gravely. Eris liked it that way. The weight on the mattress shifted as Barad did, but Eris did not open her eyes until she felt the soothing warmth of his hand on her cheek.

Home was a funny word. So funny that Eris could not help the soft creases that formed on her face. Susefvi was not her home. Her home smelled like charcoal and tasted like copper. The pestilence had made the earth beneath it so dry and cracked that no flora could take hold. The air was so thick with smog and smoke that no living being could have hoped to survive on its surface. She recalled the death and destruction so clearly that when she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the acrid atmosphere attacking her lungs. "Home?" She finally spoke, but the word was cut short as she caught his hand in hers and pressed a cool kiss to the centre of his palm.

It was the only thing she said, for the meanwhile. Instead, her focus seemed to be on taking a glimpse of the planet Barad called home. Rising slowly, Eris levelled her eyes with a small porthole that looked out into space. Or at least, it had the last time she had gazed out of it. As she leant her lithe frame against the sill, what she found waiting for her now was vastly different to the endless black that had been there before, and it certainly wasn't home. Not yet.

"Does it all look like this?" She asked in her wispy tone as her hand rose to tap the glass with the tip of her fingernail. A barren yellow landscape stretched out toward the horizon. The only other thing there were the mirages made as the sun licked out toward the earth, dancing wildly in the light. "Empty…"

Barad Voss ​

 

[Barad Voss]

Home was a funny word. So funny that Eris could not help the soft creases that formed on her face. Susefvi was not her home. Her home smelled like charcoal and tasted like copper. The pestilence had made the earth beneath it so dry and cracked that no flora could take hold. The air was so thick with smog and smoke that no living being could have hoped to survive on its surface. She recalled the death and destruction so clearly that when she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the acrid atmosphere attacking her lungs. "Home?" She finally spoke, but the word was cut short as she caught his hand in hers and pressed a cool kiss to the centre of his palm.

Barad chuckles and speaks as he turns and sits upright at the edge of the bed, "Yes, home. Susevfi." He speaks again, this time in a robotic tone of voice, "Also known as Suarbi 7/5." He then reaches under the pillow and pulls out the lightsaber he keeps underneath. A peculiar habit, some might think, but it helps Barad sleep soundly. He chuckles again and continues, talking in his normal manner again, "Such a silly a name."

"Does it all look like this?" She asked in her wispy tone as her hand rose to tap the glass with the tip of her fingernail. A barren yellow landscape stretched out toward the horizon. The only other thing there were the mirages made as the sun licked out toward the earth, dancing wildly in the light. "Empty…"

Barad chuckles once more, staring intently at the back of her as he speaks, "No, it's full of life. The sound of the Pathfinder's engines probably just scared it off." He turns from her and looks down at his lightsaber before he continues, "If you meant the terrain, then I'm afraid so. Nothing but plains and savannas, except for the cities."

Intently staring at his lightsaber, Barad runs his fingers across it and thinks to himself, "We've changed so much. I hardly recognize you, old friend." He looks back at Eris and speaks to her once again, "Did I tell you that Susevfi is technically a moon? Look at the sky, you might see Suarbi Seven." Barad was referring to the gas giant that the planet orbits, although he did not know whether or not it was in the sky at this time. He then rises from bed, clips his lightsaber to his waistband, and begins to stretch to limber up. He speaks between stretches, "Some of my companions should be outside. You should join them once you're done looking out the window. Maybe you'll see an animal hiding in the grass."

With some of his stretches there is the sound of popping, but once he is done he begins to sluggishly leave the dormitory. He speaks once more as he leaves the room, "I'll be with you shortly, I just need to put on my armor."

 

[Eris Vale]

"Hmm." She responded plainly. "Something with two names can never be at rest. How will it know who it is when it can't decide on what it's called?" The thought was merely that. A thought. Yet it fell from her lips as clearly as what came before it. For Eris, this explained what she felt here. The unease that leeched from the ground alongside the heat was tangible. As her eyes trailed across the arid land, they briefly touched upon the crew as they scurried out from the landing ramp into the bright sunlight. Behind her, Barad spoke. Of other lifeforms that scurried beneath the waves of sand. There was only one problem.

Life did not mean full.

Not to Eris anyway.

"Hmm." She said again, though this time she did not follow with any further thoughts. Instead, she had been distracted by the distinct sound of metal against skin. By the silence of Barad admiring the aged casing he tenderly cupped in his hands. She had her eyes on him when he spoke again. "You didn't." Eris shook her head, the barely perceptible movement shifting a mass of midnight black hair on her shoulders. "I do like moons…" Despite her affirmation, she did not turn back to the viewport.

"I don't want to." Her lower lip shifted into a soft pout with the end of her sentence. Something she freely wore as her raven gaze remained firmly fixed on Barad. "They don't like me, and I won't pretend that I like them. The big one thinks I'm crazy and his little sheep all follow, one by one by one." Eris tucked her knees up to her chest, at the same time dragging the heavy sheets from the cot over her shoulders. She had an eternity to get ready, Barad putting on his armour would take some time, and the warmth the blankets provided was somewhat of a comfort.

As he turned to leave the room, Eris took one final glance out of the viewport.

The giant and his sheep pranced across the empty desert, trekking boxes and supplies back and forth from the cargo. Judging from the sheer volume of supplies, they were going to be staying here for quite a while. For some reason, Eris had not quite believed Barad when he had said home. But watching the crew bring out what seemed like a lifetime's worth of provisions, she believed it now.

Suddenly, Eris slid herself off the bed.

She had promised not to lose her battle with the shadow. Not today. Today was far too important, and Eris could not allow herself to be a disappointment. The only sound in the room was the soft taps her feet made against the cool metal floor, intermingled with the continuous shuffle of the sheets trailing behind her. On the furthest wall from the cot, the doors of a built-in cupboard hung slightly ajar. An unseen force flung them open the rest of the way, revealing the contents within. Eris would take a moment, to ponder her options and ready herself for the unknown that awaited just beyond the loading ramp.

Barad Voss ​

 

[Barad Voss]

"I don't want to." Her lower lip shifted into a soft pout with the end of her sentence. Something she freely wore as her raven gaze remained firmly fixed on Barad. "They don't like me, and I won't pretend that I like them. The big one thinks I'm crazy and his little sheep all follow, one by one by one." Eris tucked her knees up to her chest, at the same time dragging the heavy sheets from the cot over her shoulders. She had an eternity to get ready, Barad putting on his armour would take some time, and the warmth the blankets provided was somewhat of a comfort.

"The big one's name is Rhysio and it's not that he doesn't like you, he doesn't trust you.", Barad starts as he stops in the doorway. He continues, speaking through a chuckle, "I think I'm the only one he does trust.". He then turns about to look at Eris, a warm smile forming across his face as he ponders "What is this spell you cast?". However, the smile quickly fades once he notices the pout beneath her raven locks. Tenderly, he says, "We are Jensaarai. By our very nature we are cloistered. Rhysio's armor is modeled after the jakobeast, a herd animal, and like the jakobeast he defends his herd. And he thinks you're a bad influence on me.". He pauses, the pain her sadness brings him so great that he is at a loss for words. At last, he conjures something and breaks his silence, "It isn't right, but you'll need to trust him before he can trust you. Show him you're part of his herd.". Finally, Barad turns to leave and as his footsteps echo out of the room he leaves her with some advice, "Remember: Rhysio is only big and they're not his followers, they're mine.".

Barad walks down the corridor, coming to door he opens it and arrivers at the intersection. He opens the wide door to his left and passes through, entering the garage. The metal is cold and feels like daggers jabbing his soles. He thinks to himself, "It'll be nice to have warm grass underneath my feet again.". He closes his eyes for a moment to picture walking through the savannas, basking in the sun, and the warm breeze. But just then, he jams his foot on something and lets out a pained howl. Whatever he hit clatters and his eyes dart down and sees a toolbox. Bearing the hurt he shouts, "Khoan, I told you not to leave your things just lying about.". He continues along his path, although with somewhat of a limp. As he walks off the pain he thinks to himself again "And it'll be nice to not have to share a living space with them anymore. Even if he was in earshot, he still wouldn't have heard me.".

Barad reaches the other end of the garage and passes through the first door, entering a much smaller corridor. "Why are there two doors to enter the garage from the port side of the ship?" he wonders as he opens and goes through the second door, coming into a longer hallway. He walks past the engine room - a faint hum still emanating from behind its door - and, after walking just a little further, opens a door to the left and enters the cargo hold. "Seems they've already unloaded most of our supplies.", he thinks to himself as he looks about the barer chamber. In this room there are eight lockers spread about along the walls, one for each of the crew. Although, there were only seven of them when their journey began. These compartments are larger than the standard units, they would have to be for Jensaarai armor.

Barad approaches his locker and opens it to find his armor. Styled after the hrumph, it is colored purple with two pairs of horns protruding back from the temple and a purple-ish gray cloak. At this point, he is a pro at donning his armor and it takes him less time than a novice, but it still requires a few minutes. He takes out each piece and puts it on, except for the helmet which this time he carries under his arm. Fully dressed, he begins to make his way towards the exit ramp.

Eris Vale

 

[Eris Vale]

Eris shrugged. The name sounded as sour as the air around her felt. Rhysio. At least she knew what to avoid when she heard it being shouted across the ether.

"There is no difference between like and trust." She responded. "You cannot like someone but not trust them, nor can you trust someone but not like them. The two come hand in hand. Like the moon and the sun. The same but different." Her velvet words only came to an end when Barad turned to look at her again. His gaze was like the stopper on a bottle of wine or rum. Though Eris would have loved to continue to imbibe, it was almost impossible now. In response to his final comment, Eris swung her head up to look at him properly, bringing with her a wave of midnight hair.

The incredulous look on her face was written plain as day. "I'm a bad influence on you?" Eris could have laughed, but the sound did not seem to want to leave her throat. "Perhaps I am…" She spoke suddenly with tone laced thick with heavy thought and confusion. "Am I?" But Barad had gone before Eris had a chance to hear her answer.

Left alone to ready herself in the silence of her room, Eris couldn't help but disagree with Barad. Why should it be she that had to prove trust? Why did she have to be part of his herd, and not he a part of hers? As a layer of black silk settled over her pale skin, Eris found her face had fallen into a soured expression. She was an outsider here. Still. After all this time. It felt like no matter what she did, she would always be an outsider. Tugging the edge of her outfit hard so it lay flat against her frame, Eris tore herself away from the polished silver embedded into the wardrobe.

She wasn't really thinking when she swept her way out of the barracks and down toward the loading ramp. She wasn't thinking about Barad and how long it would take him to put his armour on. She wasn't thinking about the crew and how they had finished dragging the supplies out. She didn't think about how hot the sun might have been, or how stiff the breeze. The only thought on her mind was the word, ringing loud and clear in her mind like a brass bell.

Outsider.

At the shadow that crept from the insides of the ship outward, Eris stopped dead. She clung to the dark edges like a child would cling to their parents, or a servant to their master. There she would wait for Barad. Wait for the familiar and comforting clang of his armoured boots against the ship floor. That was who she was here for, at the end of it all. Not Rhysio and his gaggle of carbon copies. Not the yellow and orange planet that stretched out before them. She wasn't even here for the power that seemed to swell and dance beneath the earth's crust.

She was here for Barad, and for Barad she would stay.

Barad Voss ​

 

[Barad Voss]

Barad descends the exit ramp, his cloak billowing with the breeze that rushes past him and his footsteps hammering down like thunder. He still carries his helmet under his arm. As he approaches Eris, he wraps an arm around her slender frame. He pulls himself closer to her and kisses her softly on the cheek. As he pulls away he whispers, "You aren't." Barad had heard her, if only barely.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, Barad steps onto the savanna. He makes his way through the formation of men, nodding to each of them as he walks past. However, when he reaches Rhysio, he places a hand on his shoulder. He draws the man in close and speaks in a hushed tone, "You would do well to be kinder to Eris, she's one of us now." and then lets go. He could not see Rhysio's expression under his helmet, but he imagines it is one of bitter acceptance.

"What is this place, Barad?" one of the men shouts, just as Barad reaches the front of their formation. "Our new home." he responds, before turning to face the ruin. Were it not for the sparse trees that surround it, the structure would be completely exposed. Aside from the plants, it stands alone on the savanna. "You may not recognize it," he speaks as he walks under the trees towards the stairs, "but this temple was built by our founder.". He places his foot on the bottom step and turns to see his men have followed. He then looks back towards the stairs, examining them and the ruined temple. Several great trees seem to have sprouted from inside, he could see their foliage rising out of the roof and their roots running down the stairs. He continues to speak as he ascends the steps, "Out here, it is secluded. An ideal location for his fledgling order. But it was destroyed in his duel with the Jedi and rebuilt by his successor. And in time it was abandoned.". He pauses for a moment to laugh, "I suppose the middle of nowhere was not hidden enough for an order so reclusive as the Jensaarai." He shakes his head and continues as he reaches the top step, "But it's perfect for us. It's secluded and forgotten, were someone to think to look for us, I doubt they'd find this place.". He turns to look back at his men who have gather a few steps below him. One of them shouts, "But it's a dump." and the others nod in agreement. "It's seen better days, true" he laughs and so do the others. "We will need to rebuild, again." he continues, but is interrupted by another of the men who shouts back, "Just the seven of us?". He responds, "It won't be just the seven of us. We will muster acolytes, they will help us rebuild and bolster our numbers. But for what comes next, we must find our brothers and sisters and share with them what we've learned.".

One of the men takes a step forward and asks, "But what do we tell them?". Barad looks to Eris, just the sight of her seems to rid of him any doubt. He smiles for a moment, reassured he turns his gaze back to the men and continues, "You will tell them that we have found another way. A better way, a new truth for a New Jensaarai.".

Eris Vale

 

[Eris Vale]

They came in thunderous couples, slapping the hard metal beneath them with brutal force. Eris had to fight the natural instinct to turn her head at their rumbling command. Not a moment or two later, muscular hands captured her waist in a firm but comforting hold. It was followed with a tender kiss and whispered words that Eris felt against her skin more than heard.

When he peeled himself away to address the men, Eris remained in the shadow. Ordinarily, she would have followed, but the blistering heat from the sun seemed far too dangerous. The shadow was respite. A remnant of the cool interior she had been surrounded in moments before. However, what did follow Barad were the midnight black orbs set deep into her slender face. They watched his back with curiosity as he stopped beside Rhysio. All the wind allowed her to pick up of their conversation was a low rumble. Low like the earth itself trying to tear cracks in its crust. Eris did not see Rhysio's reaction to it either, but the way his shoulders scrunched as Barad walked away told her almost all she needed to know.

As he positioned himself at the front of the group, Eris finally drew her eyes up toward the ruins. Set back in a thick forest of green camouflage, it was a towering structure of dark brick. Its tallest spires stretched lazily to meet the few wisps of cloud that the wind trailed across the sky. Eris had once heard that buildings like this, with stone as ancient as the planet they were cut from, had memory. A memory just like any of the living souls currently standing before it.

What would she find in the memory of these rocks? What would spill out if she cracked it in two? Eris hoped for its secrets to tumble out, but she knew the reality would be very different. They would be shy and refuse to sate her in a frustrating game of hide and seek. When she thought about it hard enough, Eris could hardly blame them. After all, she would not so easily confess her secrets. Not to stone, earth, or water.

Closing her eyes, Eris tilted her head back until she felt rays of sunshine lapping gently at her hollow cheeks.

The planet could hardly be described as silent. Beyond the baritone rumblings of Barad's voice, there were sounds of plenty to focus on. The shuffle and scrape of animals trekking in the distance, the soft crunch of the crew's boots against the ground, and their hot, heavy breath that filled the air with the sour scent of alcohol. Eris was almost overwhelmed by it all. Until, suddenly, something made her cock her head at an angle. A torrent of black hair slid down her shoulder, tumbling to just above her hips, but Eris didn't seem to care about it at all.

There was a sound intermingled with all the rest. Something that had tried hard to remain hidden but had slipped up long enough for Eris to notice. It was quiet. So quiet that she scrunched her eyes harder, as though the action would help her hear better. It was almost like a voice. A soft murmur, or a rustling. … Eris snapped her eyes open as if she expected someone or something to be standing directly in front of her, but the voice was nothing. Just the breeze, caressing leaves as it twisted and twirled between the branches of the trees.

Disappointed though she was, when she turned back to face Barad, whose voice had faded into silence, she found an expression that washed away any negativity.

The corners of Eris' lips curled up slightly to reflect the smile on his face. Whatever or whoever the voice had belonged to was thrown mercilessly to the back of her mind. As he turned his attention to the men for a final time, Eris abandoned the sanctuary of her shadow to edge closer to the ruins of the temple. She stopped by Barad's side just long enough to grasp his hand and coupled the action with gentle words. "Words, words, words." Her eerie voice mumbled quietly as her spindly fingers tugged twice on Barad's arm. "How can they believe if they cannot see? We must show them the way."

Barad Voss ​

 

[Barad Voss]

"Rhysio, move our supplies into the temple and begin unpacking them." Barad commands before Rhysio takes a step forward and quickly responds, "Why me?!". Barad furrows his brow and responds, "Because you're the biggest and the strongest". Rhysio shakes his head and turns to walk down the stairs. Barad continues, "Tycho, see what you can find of our kindred. Make contact with likeminded individuals if you can.". This Tycho nods towards Barad and turns to leave just as Barad issues more orders, "Shan and Tamet, look for those in need and invite them to the temple. They shall be our disciples and, with luck, gifted in the Force.". Shan, his armor modeled after the reek, and Tamet, his armor like the anooba, deeply nod before turning to march down the steps together. "Finis, you and Khoan take stock of the temple. See what repairs need to be made.", after Barad gives his last order the two men pass by him as they walk up the stairs and enter the temple. Barad hears Khoan say to Finis, "Take stock? Here's my assessment: tear it down and start over.", but Finis only sighs and replies, "You inspect the electronics while I examine the building itself.".

The corners of Eris' lips curled up slightly to reflect the smile on his face. Whatever or whoever the voice had belonged to was thrown mercilessly to the back of her mind. As he turned his attention to the men for a final time, Eris abandoned the sanctuary of her shadow to edge closer to the ruins of the temple. She stopped by Barad's side just long enough to grasp his hand and coupled the action with gentle words. "Words, words, words." Her eerie voice mumbled quietly as her spindly fingers tugged twice on Barad's arm. "How can they believe if they cannot see? We must show them the way."

With orders given and the men dispersed, Barad turns to Eris as the Pathfinder's engines whir - Shan and Tamet firing them up - from below where the two of them stand. He takes her hands in his and with a smile he says, "We will. First, Susevfi. Then, the galaxy.".

Eris Vale